Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

other Dumpster. I thought of the joyous way Littleton had killed the maid. Why had I allowed myself to be convinced that the wolves and the vampires would be a match for him?
    â€œMost of the damage was probably done with a silver blade,” Samuel told me in an absent voice—he was paying attention to his work. “The other wounds, the broken bones, are healing more slowly because his body is overtaxed trying to heal everything at once.”
    â€œDo you know where they went last night?” I asked. Samuel’s hands were so quick with the needle. I couldn’t tell how he knew where to set stitches because Warren looked like so much hamburger to me.
    â€œI don’t know,” Adam said. “Warren called me with reports of what they did, not what they were planning to do.”
    â€œHave you called Stefan’s house?”
    â€œEven if he were there, he wouldn’t be awake yet.”
    I pulled out my cell phone and called Stefan’s number and waited for his answering machine to pick up. “This is Mercedes Thompson,” I said clearly, hoping someone was listening. I knew that Stefan didn’t live in the seethe, but he probably didn’t live alone. Vampires need blood donors, and willing victims were much safer than taking someone off the street.
    â€œLast night Stefan went out hunting. One of his comrades is in seriously bad shape and we don’t know where the other one is. I need to know if Stefan came back last night.”
    There was a click as someone, a woman, picked up the phone and whispered, “No,” and then hung up.
    Adam flexed his fingers, as if he’d been clenching them too much. “Littleton took two werewolves and an old vampire—”
    â€œTwo vampires,” I said. “At least Stefan had another vampire assigned to help him.”
    â€œWarren said the second vampire wasn’t much use.”
    I shrugged.
    â€œTwo werewolves and two vampires, then.” Adam seemed to be working something out. “Stefan had already fallen to him once; that makes Warren the strongest of the party. It wasn’t chance that he was the one given back. ‘See,’ Littleton is telling us, ‘send your best against me and see what I return to you.’ Littleton didn’t finish him off because he wanted us to know he didn’t consider Warren a threat. He doesn’t care if Warren survived to go after him again or not. This…” Adam’s voice deepened into a rough growl “… thing has drawn a line in the sand and dared me to cross.”
    Adam knew how to play mind games. I think it’s a requirement for being an Alpha. Or maybe it was just from his time in the army, which, according to his stories, wasn’t that different, politically speaking, from the pack.
    â€œAnd the others?” I asked.
    He didn’t say anything, just shook his head. I hugged myself again, feeling cold.
    â€œSo what are you going to do?” I asked.
    He smiled unhappily. “I’m going to play Littleton’s game. I have no choice. I can’t leave him running around in my territory.”
    Just then Warren’s breathing, which part of me was listening to with rapt attention, stopped. Adam heard it too, crouching as if there were an enemy in the room. Maybe there was. Death is an enemy, right?
    Samuel swore, but it was Kyle who came off the floor, tipped Warren’s chin and began CPR with silent desperation.
    I hadn’t been able to hear Warren’s heart, but it must have stopped, too, because Samuel started chest compressions.
    Useless again, I watched them fight for Warren’s life. I was really tired of being unable to do anything while people were dying.
    After what seemed like a long time, Samuel pulled Kyle away saying, “It’s okay, he’s breathing. You can stop now.” He had to repeat himself several times before Kyle understood.
    â€œHe’ll be all right?” he asked, sounding quite different from his usual airy tones.
    â€œHe’s breathing on his own, and his heart is beating,” Samuel said.
    It wasn’t exactly an agreement, but Kyle didn’t seem to notice. He sank back onto the carpet and started telling a story as if he’d never been interrupted. His voice showed none of the strain in his face.
    â€œTell me what I need to know about demons,” I told Adam, though I couldn’t take my eyes off of Warren. I had the